Efron a talented surprise in '17 Again'

17 Again

Certification: PG

Cast: Zac Efron, Leslie

Mann, Thomas Lennon,

Matthew Perry, Sterling

Knight, Michelle

Trachtenberg, Melora

Hardin

Director: Burr Steers

Genre: Comedy, Drama

WITH the high-school musical franchise as his platform, Zac Efron is now able to turn young, female teens into screaming fangirls.

17 Again is Efron's first big movie with him heading the lineup. The pressure is on him, especially as this is also his first big role in a non-musical feature and really requires some serious acting.

Efron plays 17-year-old Mike O'Donnell, captain of the basketball squad and a potential pick for college-ball.

At 17, Mike looks to be on his way to a big future. But all that is cast aside when his girlfriend, Scarlett, announces that she is pregnant.

Fast forward to age 37, with goofy Matthew Perry filling in, Mike is stuck in a dead-end job and quits out of frustration.

He feels that he gave up too much the day he married Scarlett and is blaming her for his failure now. So Scarlett (Leslie Mann) does the only thing she can, divorce him.

But that's not all. Because he is unsatisfied with life, Mike is completely disconnected with his two teenage children, Maggie (Michelle Trachtenberg) and Alex (Sterling Knight). Try as he may, there's no communication between them.

While the divorce is being finalised, he is now living temporarily with his best friend, Ned Gold (Thomas Lennon).

Visiting his old high school where his kids now go, he sees an old picture of himself with his basketball team and wishes he could do it all over again. Through a small series of events, he wakes up the next morning, 17 again.

At first Mike thinks he is given a second chance to change his destiny by going back to high school. But once he finds out that his kids are not doing as well as they tell him, he realises that this is really about fixing his relationship with them.

By realising what it is that he really wants in life, perhaps he can fix his marriage, too.

The storyline recalls that of Tom Hank's Big, It's a Wonderful Life, and many others; so no points for originality, but the surprising thing is that young Zac Efron is able to pull off the role of a father stuck in a teenager's body.

Efron's performance is earnest, sincere and fatherly, with a big chunk of humour in between. Who would have guessed the high-school musical heartthrob had so much depth to his acting? He even projects the shadow of a middle-aged man with conservative views and attitude.

But credit must go to director Burr Steers as well for guiding Efron.

This is Steers' second feature film and he has done well in the storytelling, given how poorly the movie is written. Some staggering continuity issues and credibility-stretching coincidences should have been rectified, like how Alex's tormentor at school is also Maggie's boyfriend but sibling love clearly isn't an issue.

Fortunately, there is a competent cast. Perry doesn't show up too much, which is best seeing as how he and Efron look nothing alike. But he does enough with the limited screen time to establish the back story.

Mann does very well from being the disappointed wife to a confused woman and then to falling in love all over again. Her chemistry with Efron is unmistakable and that really helps when Mike has to woo her again as a teenager.

Lennon provides the sub-plot and the silly humour as the geeky billionaire who owns all sorts of movie and comic memorabilia, and ends up attracted to school principal Jane Masterson (Melora Hardin).

17 Again is not well written, but it proves that Zac Efron is a triple-threat star power beginning to rise. With Efron oozing with charm and charisma, a lot of the shortcomings in the movie is even overlooked.

He even manages to lift his co-stars' performances. Now that's talent.

Reviewer's Rating: 6 / 10

The Brunei Times